Dispenser control support



Feb. 25, 1969 H. w. HEMPEL ET AL DISPENSER CONTROL SUPPORT Filed July 13. 1966 RT W. HEMPEL. ORREST 6. HILL a R o T M v N HERBE F ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,429,492 DISPENSER CONTROL SUPPORT Herbert W. Hempel, Belleville, and Forest G. Hill, East St. Louis, 11]., assignors to Marsh Stencil Machine Company, Belleville, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed July 13, 1966, Ser. No. 564,793 U.S. Cl. 22689 Int. Cl. B65h 19/08; G03b 1/56' 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A support for maintaining the control assembly of a tape dispenser in raised position for tape reloading, inspection and other purposes including a shaft pivotally mounted in the cover of the control assembly, a radial leg secured to the shaft, a spring biasing the leg into supporting positions, spaced knobs secured to the shaft and engaging the cover in one position to limit shaft and leg rotation and to serve as handles to move the shaft and leg against the spring to lower the assembly, and a shelf engageable by the free end of the leg. A roller is provided to prevent tape overrun.

The present invention relates generally to the tape and the like dispensing art, and more particularly to a novel support for maintaining a control assembly of a tape dispenser in raised position for tape reloading inspection, and other purposes. Secondarily, it relates to structure preventing the tape from unwinding from the roll at the end of the dispensing cycles.

In tape dispensing machines, the tape selector control assembly often is pivoted as a separate unit on the dispensing machine frame. In reloading with tape, it long has been necessary heretofore to hold such control assembly in raised position by hand, or by a makeshift prop which often has failed. Efforts prior to the present invention to improve this situation have not been satisfactory.

Hence, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel dispenser control assembly support which satisfies the long felt need.

In brief, the present novel support comprises a springbiased shaft mounted inside the cover of a pivoted tape selector control assembly which includes an angularly disposed leg adapted to move automatically to supporting osition on raising of the assembly and to be manually rotated for return of the assembly to operative position. A flange is provided for engagement by the leg. A roller is provided above the tape roll across which the tape is fed.

Therefore, other objects are to provide a novel dispenser control assembly support which is simple in construc tion and in operation, which is positive in its holding function, which offers no interference in respect to other functions of the dispenser, which is a distinct convenience highly useful in tape reloading, inspection, and the like, and which otherwise fulfills the objects and advantages sought therefor.

A still further broad object is to provide a roller for the tape to substantially eliminate overrunning of the tape roll and the bunching forwardly of the loose tape at the end of the dispensing cycles.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages are apparent from the following description taken with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of a tape dispenser and its control assembly in which is incorporated a support for the latter including the teachings of the present invention, the front portion of the dispenser being broken 'ice away to eliminate unnecessary detail and the control assembly except its cover being omitted for clarity;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary isometric view of the rear of the dispenser showing the mounting of the roller preventing undesired tape unwinding;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the rear portion of the cover and associated support;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view thereof;

FIGURE 5 is an end elevational view thereof;

FIGURE 6 is a bottom plan view thereof;

FIGURES 7 and 8 are enlarged cross-sectional views on substantially the lines 77 and 8-8, respectively, of FIGURE 5; and

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged vertical transverse crosssectional view through the tape roller and its support.

Referring to the drawings more particularly by reference numbers, 10 indicates generally a tape selector control assembly which includes a cover 12. The control assembly 10 is pivoted in conventional manner on a shaft 14 mounted in the side frame walls 16 of the dispenser 18.

The present novel control assembly support generally designated 19 includes a shaft 20 pivotally mounted in aligned apertures in opposed side flanges 22 of the cover 12. Adjacent one end of the shaft 20 is an operating knob 24, which is secured in radial position by a machine screw 26 extending through an opening in the shaft 20 and into a threaded well 28 in the knob 24. The knob 24 is disposed in a notch 30 in the rear flange 32 of the cover 12. Adjacent the other end of the shaft 20 is a second operating knob 34, which is secured in radial position on a portion of an Allen-headed setscrew 36 threaded radially into the shaft 20 and into a threaded Well 38 in the knob 34. The knob 34 is disposed in a notch 40 in the rear flange 32. A leg member 42 of the configuration illustrated is mounted on the shaft 20 adjacent the knob 34 by means of a reduced extension 44 disposed in a diametrical opening 46 and engaged by the inner end of said Allen-headed setscrew 36. A spring 48 is wrapped around the shaft 20, having one end 50 engaging the inner wall of the cover 12 and the other end 52 hooked around the leg member 42, thereby biasing said leg member 42 into control assembly supporting position. Formed integral with one side frame wall 16 is an inwardly projecting flange 54, which the leg member 42 engages to support the control assembly 10, as illustrated in FIG- URE 1.

In operation, as the control assembly 10 is manually raised for some purpose, as to feed forwardly the tape 56 of a replacement tape roll 58, the leg member 42 automatically moves to supporting position under influence of the spring 48, this movement being limited by engagement of the knobs 24 and 34 with the inner closed ends of the notches 30 and 40, respectively. The leg member 42 will then rest on the flange 54 to maintain the control assembly 10 in raised position. To lower the control assembly 10, either knob 24 or 34 is pressed or pivoted downwardly, which pivots the leg member 42 out of supporting position and permits the desired lowering.

Rearwardly of the just-described support 19 and above the tape roll 58 is a roller 60 supporting the tape 56 as it leaves the former. The roller 60 is mounted on a shaft 62 for free rotation. The shaft 62 has a threaded well extending into each end, one well receiving a machine screw 64 extending through an aperture 66 in a supporting bracket 68 secured to one side frame wall 16 by machine screws, or the like, as shown in FIGURE 2. The other well receives a machine screw 70 which engages a washer 72 that maintains the roller 60 against removal. The roller 60 prevents the tape 56 from unwinding from the tape roll 58 as the dispenser 18 abrutly stops feeding after each dispensing cycle, thereby eliminating jamming of loose tape in the forward parts of the dispenser 18 and eliminating down time.

It is apparent that there have been provided novel structures fulfilling the objects and advantages sought.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings have been given by way of illustration and example. It is also to be understood that changes in form of the elements, rearrangement of parts, and substitution of equivalent elements, which will be obvious to those skilled in the art, are contemplated as within the scope of the present invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

1 A support for maintaining the pivotally mounted control assembly of a tape dispenser in raised position comprising, in combination, a shaft adapted to be pivotally mounted on the support cover of a control assem bly, a member secured to for movement with and extending outwardly from said shaft adapted in one position of movement to engage a surface on a tape dispenser to maintain the dispensers control assembly in elevated position, spring means surrounding and biasing said shaft rotationally to urge said member into supporting position, and other members secured to said shaft and adapted to extend externally of a support cover of a control assembly engageable by an operator to manually move said member against said bias to position it for lowering of the control assembly and to raise such a support cover.

2. The combination of claim 1 and including means limiting biased pivotal movement of said shaft.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,035,944 3/1936 Browne 217-60 2,654,598 10/1953 Krueger 22543 X 2,780,286 2/1957 Sharpe 83649 X 1,405,433 2/1922 Peterson 217-60 2,090,473 8/1937 Crabb 21760 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,124,574 7/1956 France. 1,132,672 11/1956 France.

ALLEN N. KNOWLES, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

